Oak  Street 
UNCLASSIFIED 


..  ,     19X1 


Volume  III 


APRIL-JUNE,   1917 


Number  3 


Published  by  Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College 
Issued  Quarterly 


BULLETIN  OF 

RANDOLPH-MACON 
WOMAN'S  COLLEGE 

LYNCHBURG,  VA. 


Founders'  Day  Address,  March  12th,  1917. 
The  Installation  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa. 


Entered  as  second-ciass  matter,  January  5,  1915,  at  the  post-office  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia, 
under  the  Act  of  August  24,  1912. 


BULLETIN 


OF 


RANDOLPH-MACON 
WOMAN'S  COLLEGE 


I.    ''The  Soul  of  a  College" 

by  Dean  Virgfinia  C.  Gildersleeve. 

IL  The  Installation  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa 

at  Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College. 


Published  by  Randolph-Macon  Woman's  Colleqj 
Lynchburg,  Va. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/thesoulofcollegeOOgild 


Cl)e  ^oul  of  a  College 


^ 


Virginia  C.  Gildersleeve,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D., 
Dean  of  Barnard  CollegSy  Columbia  University 

Mr.  President  and  Members  of 

Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College: 

I  am  much  honored  by  being  permitted  to  take  part  in  these 
Founders'  Day  Exercises.  So  pleasant  are  my  recollections  of 
my  former  visit  here,  and  of  the  ceremonies  in  this  hall,  that  I 
am  especially  glad  to  be  again  at  Randolph-Macon,  though  I  can- 
not hope  to  compete  with  the  eloquence  heard  here  on  that 
occasion. 

The  idea  of  setting  apart  a  day  for  commemorating  the  services 
of  those  who  founded  and  perpetuated  the  college  is  an  admirable 
one.  Such  a  ceremony  naturally  makes  us  ponder  on  what  the 
real  essence  of  a  college  is.  The  real  college  is  of  course  not  a 
material  thing.  It  does  not  consist  of  the  buildings  and  the 
grounds,  though  at  times,  when  one  looks,  for  example,  at  the 
grey  towers  and  shaven  lawns  of  Oxford,  steeped  in  beauty,  one 
feels  for  the  moment  that  this  mere  outward  form  is  indeed  the 
college.  Nor  does  the  real  college  consist  of  the  officers  and 
students  at  any  given  time.  Not  even  this  splendid  student 
body  that  I  see  about  me  now — you  are  not  Randolph-Macon. 

The  real  college  is  of  course  a  spiritual  and  immaterial  thing, 
something  which  I  have  called  its  soul — a  body  of  traditions  and 
ideals,  constituting  a  personality  which  is  greater  than  any  one 
of  us  or  any  group  of  us,  and  which  lives  on  after  we  have  gone. 
Though  "far  greater  than  we  are,  the  character  of  the  college  is, 
however,  dependent  upon  us ;  it  depends  upon  the  characters  and 
the  spirit  of  all  who  worked  here  in  the  past  and  who  work  now 
and  will  work  in  the  future.  The  spirit  of  Randolph-Macon  would 
be  far  different  today  had  its  founders  been  different.  Not 
merely  the  great,  commanding  personalities  that  stand  out  in 


*Aii  address  delivered  on  Founders'  Day,  March  12th,  1917. 


4  Bulletin  of 

your  past,  but  many  others  who  have  taught  and  studied  here 
and  whose  names  have  slipped  from  your  memories,  have  left  an 
indelible  impression  upon  the  temper  and  spirit  of  the  place. 
The  accumulation  of  all  their  ideals  builds  up  the  soul  of 
Randolph-Macon. 

The  thought  that  each  of  you  can  give  something  to  the  soul 
of  your  college  is  an  inspiring  one.  The  work  of  every  one  who 
now  teaches  or  studies  here  affects  directly  the  spirit  of  the  place. 
You  may  not  be  able  to  make  a  great  material  contribution  to  the 
college,  but  you  are  inevitably  making  a  spiritual  contribution — 
each  one  of  you,  from  President  Webb  down  to  the  youngest 
freshman.  Whenever  your  President  makes  a  fine,  inspiring  ad- 
dress to  you,  or  whenever  a  young  student  resists  the  temptation 
to  shirk,  and  accomplishes  in  the  face  of  difficulties  an  honest 
and  thorough  piece  of  work,  why,  then  the  spirit  of  the  college 
is  strengthened  and  helped  upon  its  way.  And  whenever  any 
one  of  you  is  slovenly  or  in  any  way  dishonest  in  her  work,  or 
selfishly  egotistical  in  her  acts,  why,  then  the  spirit  of  the  college 
is  shackled  and  impeded  in  its  growth.  One  student  with  harm- 
ful influence  may  impede  for  several  years  the  best  development 
of  the  college.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  within  the  power  of  each 
of  you  to  contribute  something  which  will  strengthen  the  spirit 
of  helpfulness,  loyalty,  intellectual  honesty,  so  vital  to  the  soul 
of  the  college. 

The  great  thing  in  any  institution  is,  as  I  have  said,  this  body 
of  traditions  and  ideals  which  I  have  called  its  soul.  But  we 
must  not,  of  course,  make  this  into  a  fetich,  to  be  worshipped  as 
an  end  in  itself.  The  soul  of  a  college  is  to  be  valued  only  in 
so  far  as  it  helps  each  student  to  be  a  better  and  happier  woman 
and  citizen,  and  to  serve  the  state  and  the  nation  so  that  they 
may  be  the  homes  of  happier  and  better  men  and  women.  Each 
of  you  contributes  something  to  the  spirit  of  your  college,  but 
from  it  she  draws  far  more  than  she  gives. 

It  is  worth  while,  though  very  difficult,  to  try  to  analyze  what 
inspiration  the  soul  of  the  student  can  gain  from  the  soul  of 
the  college.  From  true  scholarship  alone  she  can  draw  much  that 
is  spiritual  as  well  as  intellectual.     She  should  acquire,  in  the 


EANDOLni-MAcoN  Woman's  College  5 

first  place,  a  sense  of  accuracy  and  a  most  punctilious  regard  for 
truth.  This  is  not  without  difficulty.  It  is  so  easy  to  be  slovenly 
and  inaccurate,  to  be  too  indolent  to  verify  your  facts;  it  is  so 
fatally  easy  to  make  sweeping  generalizations,  to  state  things  in 
broad  and  simple  assertions.  It  is  so  hard  to  state  them  with 
the  qualifications  and  restrictions  which  truth  demands. 

From  the  spirit  of  scholarship  the  student  should  absorb,  also, 
a  hatred  of  sham  and  superficiality.  Never  pretend  to  knowledge 
which  you  do  not  really  soundly  possess.  I  have  heard  a  true 
scientist  defined  as  a  man  who,  if  he  is  not  absolutely  certain  of 
the  answer  to  a  question  asked  him,  will  say  instantly  and  frankly 
that  he  does  not  know.  Not  many  of  us  can  aspire  to  great 
scientific  achievement,  but  w^e  can  all  at  least  attain  this  one  trait 
of  the  true  scientific  spirit — of  avoiding  all  false  pretence  and 
saying  frankly  that  we  do  not  know. 

From  the  scholarly  spirit  of  a  college  the  student  can  acquire 
not  only  this  respect  for  sound  and  honest  thought  and  work, 
but  also  a  joy  in  attacking  and  conquering  hard  things.  This 
is  a  moral  as  well  as  an  intellectual  discipline.  Not  flabby  and 
inert  mind  and  will,  shrinking  from  efforts  that  are  hard,  but  a 
zest  for  grappling  w^ith  difficult  tasks,  a  pleasure  in  conquering 
them  just  because  they  are  hard — this  should  be  instilled  in  a 
student  by  the  general  temper  of  her  college.  She  should  gain 
also  from  her  scholarly  work  a  realization  of  what  thoroughness 
is  and  what  long  labor  is  required  for  its  attainment.  A  touch- 
stone of  thoroughness  to  be  applied  through  life  to  whatever  you 
meet  or  undertake  is  of  great  value. 

Using  this  touchstone  of  thoroughness,  a  college  woman  will 
realize  whenever  she  takes  up  a  new  task  that  she  needs  special 
technical  or  professional  training  to  fit  her  for  its  right  ac- 
complishment. If  she  is  to  undertake  teaching,  she  will  equip 
herself  with  professional  skill  acquired  in  ''methods  courses" 
and  other  training  in  the  technique  of  that  profession.  If  she 
wants  to  go  into  social  work,  she  will  realize  that  there  is  little  use 
nowadays  for  the  well-meaning  but  untrained  amateur,  and  that 
special  technical  study  is  necessary  in  this  new  profession.  Should 
she  devote  her  life  to  home-making  and  child-rearing,  she  will 


6  Bulletin  of 

appreciate  that  thoroughness  in  this  important  profession  de- 
mands that  she  equip  herself  with  training  in  home  economics, 
dietetics,  the  care  of  children,  and  other  vital  phases  of  her  life 
work.  She  will  not  fall  into  the  fallacy  of  distinguishing  between 
women  who  work  for  a  cash  wage  or  salary  and  women  who  are 
not  obliged  to  "earn  their  living"  in  this  sense.  She  will  ap- 
preciate that  whether  we  work  for  pay,  or  are  supported  by  an 
inherited  income  or  a  father  or  a  husband,  the  same  measure  of 
professional  thoroughness  and  efficiency  should  be  applied  to 
whatever  we  do. 

Besides  these  valuable  intellectual  standards  which  the 
scholarly  spirit  of  a  college  should  convey  to  its  daughters,  they 
should  be  inspired  also  with  a  vision  of  social  service.  Sucl»  a 
vision  can  be  given  often  by  a  broad  knowledge  of  man,  of 
nature,  of  the  problems  of  society,  that  is,  by  a  true  liberal  edu- 
cation in  the  best  sense  of  that  term.  Such  an  enlight»^ning 
l.uowledge  gives  one  a  conception  of  one's  own  special  work  in 
the  world  in  its  broadest  possible  relations  to  the  general  good 
of  the  community.  An  example  of  what  I  mean  was  afforded 
by  a  graduate  of  Barnard  College  who  told  me  of  her  work  as  a 
cooking  teacher  in  a  public  school  on  the  East  Side  in  New  York 
City,  After  leaving  Barnard  she  had  equipped  herself  with  a 
thorougli  technical  knowledge  of  teaching  and  of  cooking,  and 
she  was  apparently  teaching  cooking  with  thorough  efficiency. 
But  she  was  also  doing  a  great  deal  more.  She  told  me  that 
teaching  cooking  in  an  East  Side  public  school  gave  you  the 
most  wonderful  and  interesting  opportunity  for  social  iLsefulness. 
You  had  a  splendid  chance  to  know  your  pupils  and  their  homes, 
and  to  help  them  and  influence  them  towards  healthier  and  saner 
ways  of  living.  She  said  that  you  could  work  to  better  ad 
vantage  through  such  a  school  position  than  you  could  through 
a  settlement  or  other  private  philanthropy,  because  you  had  be 
hind  you  all  the  weight  of  the  great  public  school  system  of 
New  York  City.  On  the  whole  she  seemed  to  me  a  striking 
illustration  of  what  a  liberal  education  can  give  in  a  broad  knowl- 
edge of  human  problems,  an  imaginative  vision  of  social  service, 


Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College  7 

and  a  desire  to  make  one's  own  little  job  of  the  widest  possible 
usefulness  in  the  community. 

Another  thing  which  the  student  should  absorb  from  the  soul 
of  her  college  is  a  conception  of  the  value  of  spiritual  efficiency. 
By  this  I  mean  the  doing  of  things  not  merely  with  technical 
competency,  but  also  with  human  kindliness,  warmth,  sympathy, 
imagination  and  enthusiasm.  Some  concrete  examples  may  per- 
haps help  to  convey  to  you  my  thought. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  necessity  of  technical  training 
for  a  woman  who  takes  up  the  profession  of  domesticity.  For 
home  making  and  child-rearing,  technical  efficiency  is  indeed 
very  important,  but  far  more  essential  is  spiritual  efficiency.  I 
have  always  sympathized  with  the  writer  who  stated  that,  in  any 
home,  even  more  important  than  the  food  which  is  upon  the 
table  is  the  conversation  which  goes  on  about  the  table.  A  mother 
should,  of  course,  be  as  technically  efficient  as  a  trained  nurse  in 
the  care  of  her  baby,  but  if  any  of  us  had  to  choose,  we  should 
infinitely  perfer  a  mother  who  neglectfully  let  us  eat  a  few  germs 
occasionally,  but  who  mothered  us  with  the  spiritual  warmth  and 
affection  and  imagination  that  really  constitute  motherhood, 
rather  than  the  most  competent  professional  trained  nurse  in  all 
the  world. 

In  the  great  profession  of  teaching  you  can  also,  if  you  think 
a  moment,  realize  the  enormous  significance  of  spiritual  effi- 
ciency. You  all  know  the  difference  between  a  teacher  who  is  just 
thoroughly  well  trained  in  the  art  of  her  profession,  and  who 
does  her  work  with  entire  technical  efficiency  but  nothing  more, 
and  the  teacher  who  puts  into  her  classes  some  spiritual  force 
and  warmth  and  magnetism  very  hard  to  define  but  infinitely 
precious. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  individuals  at  work  in  the  world  and 
note  the  vast  difference  in  their  achievement  made  by  spiritual 
efficiency.  Several  years  ago  a  member  of  my  family  underwent  a 
serious  operation  at  a  great  hospital  in  New  York.  When  she 
recovered  consciousness  the  dominant  impression  in  her  mind 
was  not  of  pain  or  anxiety,  but  of  the  extreme  kindness,  gentle- 
ness and  cheerful  sympathy  of  the  young  doctor  who  had  ad- 


8  Bulletin  of 

ministered  the  ana?thetic.  He  was  evidently  not  merely  a  master 
of  the  teclmique  of  his  particular  job  of  administering  ana?thet- 
ics,  but  he  was  also  possessed  of  imagination  and  a  warm  heart. 
I  have  often  thought  what  a  great  difference  to  the  world  that 
young  man's  spiritual  efficiency  had  made — how  many  scores  of 
human  beings  it  has  cheered  and  comforted  in  dark  hours  of 
fear  and  pain. 

Let  me  add  one  other  example.  Two  friends  of  mine  devote  a 
considerable  part  of  their  busy  lives  to  finding  homes  for  home- 
less babies.  They  take  from  institutions,  organizations  or  private 
families  orphaned  babies,  generally  wretched,  ill,  unhappy  little 
creatures.  They  feed  and  care  for  them,  have  them  nursed  to 
sturdy,  cheerful  health,  then  dress  them  winningly,  with  pink 
bows  on  their  hair,  and  exhibit  them  under  favorable  surround- 
ings to  promising  prospective  parents.  The  prospective  parents 
are  captured  at  once.  They  take  the  homeless  babies  to  their 
hearts  and  good  homes.  My  friends  are  obviously  skilled  and  com- 
petent in  the  care  of  children  and  the  selection  of  appropriate, 
comfortable  families  in  which  to  place  them.  They  are  much  more. 
They  have  such  warm  hearts,  such  a  fine  conception  of  the  beauty 
of  childhood  and  of  the  affections  of  home  life,  that  they  do  not 
merely  give  to  each  family  a  child ;  they  also  give  with  it  a  seed 
of  love  and  sympathy  and  good  cheer  which  takes  root  and  grows 
and  blossoms  within  each  home  into  glowing  happiness  and  af- 
fection.   I  know  of  no  lovelier  example  of  spiritual  efficiency. 

How  are  we  to  judge  whether  our  colleges  are  instilling  in 
their  daughters  this  kind  of  virtue  ?  It  is  not  easy  to  measure.  I 
suppose  that  when  Randolph-Macon  is  asked  to  justify  its  ex- 
istence by  telling  what  its  graduates  are  doing,  it  responds,  as 
other  colleges  do,  by  saying  that  so  many  percent  are  married 
and  have  so  many  children,  so  many  per  cent  are  teachers,  so 
many  bacteriologists,  so  many  social  workers,  and  so  on.  These 
figures  are  of  course  interesting,  but  they  tell  little  or  nothing 
about  the  most  important  thing  of  all — the  spiritual  efficiency 
with  which  the  women  are  carrying  on  their  various  works.  What 
we  should  really  like  to  be  able  to  say,  would  be  something  likti 
this:   "For  seventy-three  per  cent  of  the  graduates  of  Randolph- 


Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College  9 

Macon  the  world  is  a  pleasanter  and  more  interesting  place  than 
it  would  have  been  if  they  had  never  gone  to  Randolph-Macon." 
' '  In  the  cases  of  eighty-four  per  cent  of  the  married  graduates  of 
Randolph-Macon  their  husbands  find  life  more  cheerful  and  in- 
spiring than  they  would  have  if  their  wives  had  never  gone  to 
Randolph-Macon."  How  significant  would  such  statistics  as 
these  be  in  measuring  the  accomplishment  of  the  spirit  of  a 
college !  But  how  difficult  to  secure !  No,  it  is  impossible  to  put 
into  figures  any  estimate  of  those  intangible  results  that  constitute 
a  college's  most  precious  service. 

I  have  been  enumerating  the  various  kinds  of  inspiration  whir'h 
the  souls  of  students  should  draw  from  the  soul  of  their  colleges. 
Let  us  shift  for  a  moment  to  the  point  of  view  of  the  college  and 
ask  how  it  can  consciously  and  deliberately,  as  an  institution, 
seek  to  nourish  and  strengthen  its  soul.  Vital  for  this  purpose, 
of  course,  is  the  maintenance  of  absolutely  honest  standards  of 
work.  There  must  be  about  the  college  no  sham  or  pretense  what- 
soever, no  advertising  in  the  catalogue,  for  example,  of  anything 
more  than  the  college  really  offers.  There  must  be  a  rigid  en- 
forcement of  the  announced  standards,  and  these  must  be  as 
high  as  is  possible  and  suitable  in  the  particular  circumstances 
with  which  the  college  has  to  deal. 

The  college  must  nurture  its  soul,  also,  by  ever  emphasizing  the 
liberal  side  of  education,  that  is,  the  spiritual  and  the  idealistic 
rather  than  the  immediately  practical,  and  it  must  not  be 
frightened  from  its  course  by  the  loud  complaints  of  the  ma- 
terialists. It  should  try  to  arrange  its  program  so  that  all  its 
students  obtain  a  fair  knowledge  of  nature,  of  man  and  of  society, 
of  the  problems  of  national  politics  and  the  ideals  which  should 
govern  international  relations.  It  should  see  that  they  all  have 
some  acquaintance  with  the  field  of  philosophy,  ethics  and  re- 
ligion. If  possible  it  should  so  plan  its  courses  that  emphasis  is 
often  thrown  on  the  contemplation  of  great  characters.  Few 
things  are  more  strengthening  or  inspiring  than  contact  with 
striking  personalities,  in  life,  in  history,  or  in  literature.  From 
a  great  biography  like  that  of  Louis  Pasteur  one  can  absorb  un- 
selfish ambition  and  consecration  to  the  cause  of  truth  in  the 


10  Bulletin  of 

service  of  mankind.  From  a  proper  reading  of  King  Lear  one 
rises  with  a  deepened  horror  of  the  ugly  vices  of  ingratitude  and 
cruelty,  and  a  new  impulse  towards  the  virtues  of  affection  and 
forgiveness. 

The  college  should  see,  also,  that  it  does  not  neglect  the  other 
fine  arts  besides  literature.  Contact  with  great  paintings  and 
great  music  brings  food  to  the  spirit.  Beethoven's  Eighth 
Symphony,  for  example,  or  Puccini's  Madam  Butterfly  may  often 
fill  us  with  strength  and  cheer  and  inspiration.  The  college 
should  guide  its  students  to  these  springs  of  happiness  and 
power. 

One  of  the  most  potent  influences  on  the  soul  of  a  college  lies, 
of  course,  in  the  personalities  of  its  leaders.  The  faculty  and 
the  administrative  offices,  by  their  individual  characters,  their 
views  of  life,  their  ideals,  can  make  or  mar  the  spirit  of  the 
place.  The  college  must  take  watchful  thought  in  selecting  its 
leaders. 

An  institution  can  nurture  its  soul,  finally,  by  developing  the 
right  sort  of  college  spirit.  By  college  spirit  I  do  not  mean 
waving  banners  and  cheering  at  basket-ball  games,  but  something 
much  deeper,  a  spirit  of  unity,  loyalty  and  love,  which  gives 
rise  to  loyal  enthusiasm  for  all  good  things,  which  warms  the 
heart,  and  which  inspires  to  good  deeds,  that  one  may  be  worthy 
of  Alma  Mater. 

By  keeping  their  minds  often  on  these  various  things  which  I 
have  suggested,  the  trustees,  the  administrative  officers,  the 
faculty,  can,  I  believe,  do  much  to  nurture  the  soul  of  the  college. 

My  thoughts  are  haunted  these  days  by  a  passage  in  Mr.  Wells ' 
very  striking  novel  of  the  War,  Mr.  Britling  Sees  It  Through. 
He  represents  his  typical  Englishman,  Mr.  Britling,  contemplat- 
ing the  vast  destruction  and  horror  of  the  conflict,  and  despair- 
ing of  mankind's  ability  ever  to  devise  a  saner  and  stabler 
government  of  the  world.  ''Meanwhile,"  it  seemed  to  him,  "it 
must  remain  a  scene  of  blood-stained  melodrama,  of  deafening 
noise,  contagious  follies,  vast  irrational  destruction.  One  fine 
life  after  another  went  down  from  study  and  university  and 
laboratory  to  be  slain  and  silenced.    Was  it  conceivable  that  this 


RANDOLPii-MAcoN   Woman's  CoM.K(ii;  11 

mad  monster  of  mankind  would  ever  be  caught  and  held  in  the 
thin-spun  webs  of  thought?" 

Is  it  indeed  conceivable  that  this  mad  monster  of  mankind  can 
ever  be  caught  and  held  in  the  thin-spun  webs  of  thought?  In 
spite  of  all  bitter  discouragement,  it  must  be  conceivable  to  a  col- 
lege. ''The  thin-spun  webs  of  thought" — the  invisible  filaments 
of  the  reason  and  of  the  spirit — it  is  these  which  the  college  must 
still  strive  to  weave,  it  is  in  these  that  the  college  must  still  put 
its  ultimate  trust. 

Even  if  duty  in  the  cause  of  righteousness  should  involve  our 
own  nation  in  this  fearful  war,  and  we  should  strike  strongly 
for  a  peace  with  justice,  the  college  meanwhile  must  stand 
guardian  of  this  rational  and  spiritual  side  of  life,  cherishing  and 
sheltering  through  the  storm  those  ideals  which  ultimately,  we 
must  believe,  will  subdue  the  madness  of  men.  For  this  great 
ta^k  we  must  realize  that  that  intangible  thing  which  I  have 
called  the  soul  of  the  college  is  its  most  precious  essence — that 
spirit  which  passes  to  its  daughters  to  guide  and  inspire  their 
lives,  and  through  them  to  inspire  and  guide,  to  some  slight 
degree,  this  suiTering  world  in  the  hour  of  its  agony.  For  us  who 
believe  in  the  souls  of  our  colleges,  it  is  not  merely  an  inter- 
national catastrophe  that  confronts  us,  it  is  also  a  test  and  an 
opportunity. 


12  Bulletin  of 


installation  of  0|)t  Beta  Stappa 

^t  iaantiolp6=Sl^acon  Moman'o  College 

The  movement  to  secure  a  charter  for  Randolph-Macon 
Woman's  College  was  inaugurated  in  1911  by  Dr.  W.  W.  Smith, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Beta  Society.  Associated  with 
him  were  Dr.  Herbert  C.  Lipscomb,  Alpha  of  Maryland,  Profes- 
sor of  Latin,  and  Dr.  Gustav  G.  Laubscher,  Alpha  of  Ohio,  Pro- 
fessor of  Romance  Languages.  It  was  a  matter  of  congratulation 
to  the  friends  of  the  college  that  the  application  which  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Senate  in  March,  1913,  contained  the  endorsements 
of  many  of  the  strongest  universities  and  colleges  in  the  country, 
including  among  others  the  College  of  William  and  Mary,  the 
University  of  Virginia,  Washington  and  Lee  University,  Vander- 
bilt  University,  and  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  institutions 
which  by  reason  of  their  proximity  would  naturally  be  best  ac- 
quainted with  the  standards  and  ideals  obtaining  in  the  Woman 's 
College.  It  was  a  pleasure  also  to  include  the  endorsement  of 
the  General  Education  Board,  given  through  its  secretary. 
Dr.  Wallace  Buttrick,  who  under  date  of  May  23,  1912,  wrote: 
''Our  office  has  carefully  examined  Randolph-Macon  Woman's 
College,  both  as  to  its  equipment  and  standards,  and  we  recog- 
nize it  as  one  of  the  leading  colleges  for  women  in  the  country 
and  one  of  the  chief  representatives  in  the  South  in  the  field  of 
higher  education  of  women." 

The  Senate  took  favorable  action  upon  the  application  and  in- 
eluded  Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College  in  the  list  of  institu- 
tions recommended  to  the  next  session  of  the  National  Council 
as  worthy  of  charters.  The  first  battle  in  behalf  of  the  coveted 
honor  was  won,  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  successor  to 
Dr.  Smith,  who  had  passed  away  during  the  preceding  November, 
had  not  been  elected,  Drs.  Lipscomb  and  Laubscher  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  Secretary  of  the  United  Chapters  requested  that 
that  application  lie  over  without  prejudice  until  the  Council  of 
1916,  and  this  action  was  taken. 


Randolpii-Macon  Woman's  Collkoe  13 

In  the  meantime,  Dr.  William  A,  Webb,  Alpha  of  Tennessee, 
President  of  Central  College,  Fayette,  Missouri,  was  elected  to 
succeed  Dr.  Smith.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  with  the  opening 
of  the  fall  term  in  1913,  and  in  cooperation  with  the  other  signers 
continued  the  campaign  in  behalf  of  the  charter.  In  September, 
1916,  the  application,  with  the  added  signatures  of  President 
Webb,  Professor  Clarence  E.  Leavenworth,  Epsilon  of  New  York, 
and  Miss  Edith  Claire  Comstock,  Zeta  of  Massachusetts,  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Twelfth  National  Council,  with  Professor  James 
Lewis  Howe,  of  Washington  and  Lee  University,  as  spokesman, 
and  a  charter  was  granted  without  a  single  dissenting  vote.  This 
happy  consummation  was  no  doubt  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the 
reports  made  by  the  distinguished  president  of  the  United  Chap- 
ters of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  Dr.  E.  A.  Grosvenor,  and  Senator  Mary 
E.  Woolley,  President  of  Mount  Holyoke  College,  who  were 
guests  of  the  college  in  the  Spring  of  1916  and  were  able  to  speak 
at  first  hand  of  the  impressions  made  by  the  personnel  of  the 
faculty,  the  value  and  extent  of  the  physical  equipment,  and  the 
representative  character  of  the  student  body. 

DELTA  OF  VIRGINIA 

The  installation  of  the  Delta  chapter  of  Phi  Beta  in  Virginia  -vras  held 
on  Saturday,  May  5,  1917,  at  2:30  p.  m.  The  exercises  took  place  in  the 
Delta  Delta  Delta  Fraternity  House,  situated  upon  the  grounds  of  the 
Eandolph-Macon  Woman's  College.  President  Edwin  A.  Grosvenor  presided, 
and  opened  the  business  session  by  presenting  the  charter,  -vrhich  Tras  ac- 
cepted for  the  chapter  by  President  William  A.  Webb.  The  secretary, 
after  a  few  remarks,  read  the  list  of  candidates  for  initiation,  who  were 
thereupon  received  into  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and  given  the  official  grip  by  the 
President  of  the  United  Chapters.  Dr.  Grosvenor  also  spoke  upon  the 
origin  and  significance  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  the  duties  of  the  Delta 
Chapter  to  the  rraternity  at  large. 

Eepresentatives  of  other  institutions  present  were  Drs.  De  la  Warr  B. 
Easter  and  James  Lewis  Howe,  both  of  Washington  and  Lee  University. 

Three  members  of  the  faculty  were  received  into  honorary  membership : 
Eichard  H.  Sharp,  Jr.,  M.  A.;  Professor  Emeritus  of  Ancient  Languages; 
Fernando  Wood  Martin,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  and  Thomas  Moody 
Campbell,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of  German.  Of  the  alumnae  invitations  had 
been   extended   to    thirty-five,    chosen    from    a   total    of    more    than   seven 


14  Bulletin  of 

hundred  representing  twenty  classes;  twenty-two  were  present  for  initia- 
tion. The  selection  was  made  strictly  upon  the  basis  of  collegiate  scholar- 
ship, and  included  three  members  of  the  faculty,  Miss  Gillie  A.  Larew, 
Ph.  D.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  Mathematics;  Miss  Nellie  V.  Powell,  Ph.  M., 
Adjunct  Professor  of  English;  and  Miss  Annie  E.  Whiteside,  A.  B.,  In- 
structor in  Mathematics.  In  addition  to  these  foundation  members,  five 
students  were  chosen  from  the  present  graduating  class. 

At  the  close  of  the  business  session  the  company  adjourned  to  witness 
the  presentation  of  the  Antigone  of  Sophocles,  given  at  4:00  p.  m.  in  a 
natural  amphitheatre  well  adapted  to  the  purpose.  The  tragedy  was  pro- 
duced in  the  original,  and  was  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Mabel  K.  White- 
side, A.  M.,  head  of  the  Greek  Department.  The  music  used  was  that  of 
Mendelssohn.  The  interpretation  was  considered  excellent  by  the  audience 
and  visitors.  The  parts  were  taken  by  students,  who  showed  real  ap- 
preciation; the  title  role,  played  by  Miss  Frances  Louise  Swift,  was 
especially  commended.  There  was  a  good  attendance;  the  public  was  in- 
vited, and  there  were  a  number  of  guests  from  other  institutions. 

At  7:00  p.  m.  a  banquet  Avas  held  in  the  College  Gymnasium,  Dr.  Webb 
presiding  as  toast-master.  To  this  were  invited  the  foundation  members, 
initiates,  and  guests  of  the  Delta  Chapter.  Thirty-eight  persons  were 
present,  including  President  Grosvenor,  Drs.  Easter  and  Howe,  and 
Mr.  Carl  H.  Grabo  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  At  the  close,  Dr.  Martin 
was  called  upon  for  a  toast  of  welcome  to  the  alumnas  and  visitors; 
Dr.  Howe  spoke  for  the  Gamma  chapter  of  Virginia,  welcoming  the  new 
chapter,  and  Miss  Virginia  E.  Proctor  replied  for  the  alumnae,  the  keynote 
of  her  remarks  being  the  call  to  service. 

At  8:30  p.  m.,  in  the  college  chapel,  occurred  the  public  exercises  in- 
cident to  the  installation.  All  members  of  the  Delta  chapter,  guests,  and 
members  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  resident  in  Lynchburg,  entered  the  hall  two 
abreast,  and  while  a  processional  was  played  by  Professor  John  Herbert 
Davis  marched  to  the  platform  where  seats  had  been  reserved.  A  large 
audience  was  present  for  the  occasion,  composed  of  students  and  a  good 
representation  of  Lynchburg  friends.  The  invocation  was  pronounced  by 
Rev.  George  E.  Booker,  D.  D.,  Alpha  of  Virginia.  The  secretary  thereupon 
read  the  roll  of  the  chapter,  and  the  charter  was  publicly  presented  by 
President  Grosvenor  and  accepted  by  President  Webb  with  appropriate 
remarks.  After  the  singing  of  Alma  Mater  by  the  students.  President 
Grosvenor  delivered  an  address:  ''The  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,"  which 
is  given  elsewhere. 

The  literary  address  of  the  occasion  was  given  by  Dr.  Paul  Shorey, 
of  the  University  of  Chicago.  His  subject  was:  ''The  Power  of  Enthusiasm 
in  Literature  and  Education."  In  the  first  part  of  his  paper  the  speaker 
dwelt  upon  the  value  of  literature  to  purify  the  emotions,  and  developed 
the    Aristotelian   idea  with   excellently   chosen   passages   which    illustrated 


Randolpii-Macon  Woman's  College  IT) 

concretely  the  points  made.  The  audience  was  delighted  by  a  wealth  of 
quotation  and  apt  translation.  Dr.  Shorey  then  urged  specifically  the  nectl 
of  real  teachers  to  present  their  subjects  with  human  interest;  decried  tho 
tendencies  that  discourage  teaching,  as  such,  and  made  an  eloquent  appeal 
for  scholarly  and  earnest  study  vivified  by  emotional  appreciation  of  the 
subject.  He  concluded  that  the  classics,  especially  Greek,  are  best  fitte:l 
as  a  medium  for  the  larger  education,  as  they  by  their  restraint,  purity,  and 
other  qualities  are  fitted  to  give  the  universal  expression  which  modern 
literature  lacks.  Finally  he  held  up  as  an  ideal  the  love  of  knowledge  as 
he  had  defined  it,  a  philosophia  which  may  well,  in  truth,  be  the  guide  of 
life.  The  prolonged  applause  that  greeted  the  end  of  Dr.  Shorey 's  address 
was  a  remarkable  tribute  to  his  ability  and  personality. 

After  the  singing  of   ' '  The   Star   Spangled  Banner ' '  by  the  audience. 
Dr.  Booker  pronounced  the  benediction. 

— Beprinted  by  permission  from  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Key,  May,  1917. 


16  Bulletin  of 

ALUMNA  MEMBERS 

Mrs.  S.  McC.  Atkinson  (Margaret  H.  Brickhouse) 

Miss  Grace  F.  Bagley 

Miss  Ethel  Black 

Miss  Edith  Sumter  Blackwell 

Miss  Julia  W.  Blount 

Mrs.  J.  G.  Broaddus   (William  Emma  Lear) 

Mrs.  L.  C.  Caldwell  (Martha  C.  McAdory) 

Miss  Lura  Lee  Cannon 

Miss  Ella  B.  Caruthers 

Miss  Laurie  Cash 

Miss  Susie  Dawson 

Miss  Nell  Davis  Drake 

Miss  Emma  C.  Edmunds 

Mrs.  John  W.  Eure  (Addie  Taylor) 

Miss  Pauline  T.  Fisher 

Miss  Hardenia  E.  Fletcher 

Miss  Hallie  T.  Gaines 

Miss  Virginia  Harnsberger 

Mrs.  F.  E.  Kennedy  (Ellen  Sheltman) 

Mrs.  a.  S.  Kimball  (Minnie  Osterbind) 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Lander  (Elizabeth  Collier  Floyd) 

Miss  Gillie  A.  Larew 

Mrs.  Eobert  Lewis  (Helen  "W.  Latane) 

Mrs.  W.  K.  Matthews  (Eva  B.  Williams) 

Miss  Nellie  V.  Powell 

Miss  Virginia  Proctor 

Miss  Miriam  Sims 

Miss  Mary  Ava  Stewart 

Mrs.  B.  E.  Turner  (Alice  Littleton) 

Miss  Nannie  P.  Vaden 

Miss  Thelma  E.  West 

Miss  Annie  Whiteside 

Mrs.  Egbert  McL.  Whittet  (Cornelia  Magill) 

Miss  Ellen  Katharine  Wright 

Miss  Sally  Arinthea  Wright 

Members  from  Senior  Class  of  1917 

Miss  Cornelia  Frost 

Miss  Florence  I.  Kehr 

Miss  Catharine  Hunter  Nuckols 

Miss  Henrietta  Peery 

Miss  Mary  Louise  Petrie 


Randolpii-Macon  Woman's  College  17 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  CHARTER 
BY  DR.  GROSVENOR 

Mr.  President: 

There  is  no  need  for  me  to  repeat  what  the  Secretary  of  the 
Chapter  has  said  so  well.  I  will  give  the  bare  statement,  that  at 
the  meeting  of  the  Senate  in  March,  1916,  the  application  of 
Randolph-]\Iacon  Woman 's  College,  already  favorably  considered 
by  the  Senate  in  1913,  was  considered  and  re-approved.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  Council  in  September,  1916,  again  the  question 
came  up  on  the  grant  of  a  charter.  The  report  of  the  president 
of  Mount  Holyoke  College  was  read.  President  WooUey  had 
visited  the  college  as  a  member  of  the  special  committee  on  Ran- 
dolph-Macon Woman's  College,  and  in  her  report  occurred  this 
sentence:  ''I  know  of  no  woman's  college  in  the  United  States 
more  worthy  of  a  charter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  than  Randolph- 
Macon  Woman's  College,  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia."  The  term 
'* woman's  college"  was  used  because  Miss  WooUey  was  thinking 
of  women's  colleges.  The  president  of  the  United  Chapters,  who 
was  also  a  member  of  the  special  committee,  in  his  report  did  not 
modify  that  which  had  been  so  aptly  said  by  President  Woolley. 
The  charter  was  granted,  and  it  is  a  delight,  the  intensity  of 
which  would  surprise  you  if  you  could  look  into  my  heart,  in  the 
presence  of  this  splendid  gathering  to  extend  this  manifestation 
of  the  formal  acceptance  of  this  our  eighty-eighth  chapter  of  Phi 
Beta  Kappa. 


ACCEPTANCE  OF  THE  CHARTER  BY  DR.  WEBB 

President  Grosvenor: 

In  accepting  this  charter,  I  take  the  liberty  of  repeating  some 
words  from  perhaps  the  most  famous  of  all  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
orations : 

' '  Our  anniversary  is  one  of  hope,  and,  perhaps,  not  enough  of 
labor.  We  do  not  meet  for  games  of  strength  or  skill,  for  the 
recitation  of  histories,  tragedies,  and  odes,  like  the  ancient 
Greeks ;  for  parliaments  of  love  and  poesy,  like  the  Troubadours  ; 


18  Bulletin  of 

nor  for  the  advancement  of  science,  like  our  contemporaries  in 
the  British  and  European  capitals.  Thus  far,  our  holiday  has 
been  simply  a  friendly  sign  of  the  survival  of  the  love  of  letters." 

And  again, 

''Colleges,  in  like  manner,  have  their  indispensable  office — to 
teach  elements.  But  they  can  only  highly  serve  us  when  they 
gather  from  far  every  ray  of  various  genius  to  their  hospitable 
halls,  and  by  the  concentrated  fires,  set  the  hearts  of  youth  on 
flame." 

These  words,  taken  from  Emerson's  "American  Scholar,"  re* 
fleet  our  feelings  on  this  occasion.  In  accepting  this  charter 
from  you  as  representative  of  the  United  Chapters  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  we  trust  we  shall  be  true  to  the  ideals  so  beautifully  de- 
picted in  your  remarks  to  the  chapter  this  afternoon,  and  we 
shall  strive  to  make  those  ideals  prevail  not  only  in  our  own 
liearts  but  in  the  hearts  of  those  with  whom  we  are  associated. 

It  seems  peculiarly  appropriate  for  this  charter  to  come  to  a 
Virginia  college  for  women.  It  was  on  Virginia  soil  in  1776  in 
old  "William  and  Mary  that  Phi  Beta  Kappa  had  its  origin. 
The  college — shall  we  say  in  prophetic  anticipation  of  this  scene  ? 
— ^bore  in  equal  honor  the  royal  names  of  William  of  Orange  and 
his  consort  Mary,  though  it  was  to  be  many  long  years  before  the 
daughters  of  the  Old  Dominion  should  be  permitted  to  enjoy 
with  their  brothers  the  distinction  which  membership  in  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  bestows.  When  the  enemies  of  Henry  V  questioned 
his  right  to  inherit  the  throne  of  France  through  the  female  line 
because  of  the  old  law,  ''No  woman  shall  succeed  in  Salique 
land,"  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  replied  that  the  Salique 
law  did  not  pertain  to  the  realm  of  France.  Mr.  President,  from 
this  time  on,  the  Salique  law  no  longer  pertains  to  the  Common- 
wealth of  Virginia. 

In  the  name  of  the  Delta  Chapter  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society  in  Virginia  I  accept  this  charter  as  a  token  of  your  confi- 
dence in  us  and  as  a  pledge  of  our  devotion  to  the  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities implied  in  its  possession. 


Randolpii-Macon  Woman's  College  19 

Clje  ^fii  Beta  Stappa 

Address  by  Dr.  E.  A.  Grosvenor 

Members  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

While  we  look  forward  with  keen  anticipation  to  hearing  the 
principal  address  of  the  evening,  which  will  be  given  by  Dr.  Paul 
Shorey,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  nevertheless  the  part  that 
remains  for  me  is  an  important  and  distinguished  one.  It  is  my 
good  fortune  that  I  am  not  trammeled  by  any  single  line  of 
argument  or  by  any  specific  theme.  Your  president  has  so  kindly 
and  graciously  referred  to  me,  and  I  have  had  such  delightful 
association  with  you  on  the  occasions  of  my  visits  to  Randolph- 
Macon  Woman's  College,  that  I  can  do  as  it  is  in  my  heart  to  do 
and  regard  myself  here  as  in  one  of  my  college  homes,  and  talk 
face  to  face  as  people  talk  around  their  own  fireside. 

It  seems  to  me  that  in  the  Greek  play  given  on  the  campus 
this  afternoon,  there  is  a  presentation  of  the  spirit  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa,  brought  out  by  one  of  the  masters  of  all  time  and 
rendered  to  us  by  the  distinct  enunciation,  the  delicate  apprecia- 
tion, the  marvelous  interpretation  of  those  students  who  gave  to 
us  that  wonderful  "  Antigone."  It  has  been  my  privilege  over 
and  over  again  to  attend  the  presentation  in  the  Greek  of  Greek 
dramas,  and  the  delight  of  my  life  has  been  in  the  study  of 
Greek,  so  in  a  certain  sense  I  would  naturally  be  more  sym- 
pathetic, more  responsive,  perhaps,  than  if  they  were  to  be  re- 
garded as  purely  educational  or  literary  or  mechanical  presenta- 
tions. The  great  significance  of  this  particular  drama  is  not  so 
much  in  the  rendering  of  the  lines  as  in  the  picture  of  the 
tremendous  potentiality  over  against  the  absolute  impotence  of 
man  which  are  brought  out  by  that  unsurpassed  creation.  And 
in  this  time  of  a  world  war,  in  this  time  when  thrones  totter  and 
fall  and  it  seems  a  slight  thing,  when  the  foundations  of  the 
great  deep  are  broken  up,  we  almost  wonder  if  we  are  not  back 
in  the  Sophoclean  age,  with  the  Sophoclean  dramas  and  the 
Sophoelean  method  of  solution.    ' '  Pray  not  at  all  to  that  baffling 


20  Bulletin  of 

will."  The  great  philosopher  comes  to  the  close  with  a  deeper 
note  of  pity  and  a  more  superficial  note  of  philosophj^  traceable 
in  the  pathetic  recital  of  the  unsurpassed  woes  of  that  heathen 
famil}^  and  especially  seen  in  the  hinted  solution  that  somehow, 
somewhere,  there  is  a  power,  a  being,  a  person,  impossible  to 
comprehend,  to  whom  we  may  draw  near  with  fingers  groping  al- 
most in  the  dark,  yet  feeling  that  there  is  a  Father  of  the  earth, 
working  out  his  will  and  purposes  in  every  realm.  There  is 
something  that  appeals  to  our  own  Christian  wisdom  in 
Cleanthes'  prayer  to  Jove. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  feel  coming  here  to  Randolph-Macon. 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  feel  coming  to  Virginia.  I  know  this 
college  is  not  limited  in  its  enrollment  to  the  Old  Dominion,  that 
half  of  your  students  are  gathered  from  other  States  of  the  Unioii, 
yet  I  like  to  think  of  this  as  a  college  of  Virginia.  Here  I  am  in 
the  midst  of  the  daughters  of  the  South,  in  the  grand- 
est state  of  the  South,  a  state  that  I  hail  as  the  most 
historic,  the  most  beneficent  in  the  Union.  Massachusetts 
through  her  son  can  pay  her  glowing  and  unstinted  tribute  to 
this  history  that  was  a  little  more  ancient  than  her  own.  I  am  at 
home  in  Virginia.  Your  president  has  spoken  about  the  birth  of 
the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  within  your  own  borders.  I  am 
simply  bringing  you  of  your  own.  I  am  bringing  back  to  you 
what  was  begotten  in  Virginia  and  brought  forth  upon  her  sacred 
soil.  Fortunate  I  have  been  among  men  wearing  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  badge ;  fortunate  not  in  holding  a  position  at  the  head  of 
this  fraternity,  but  fortunate  in  the  associations  and  experiences 
which  have  come  to  me,  and  especially  in  my  associations  with 
that  revered  institution,  the  College  of  William  and  Mary.  It 
was  there,  I  believe  through  the  influence  of  a  Virginian  friend, 
I  was  made  president  of  the  Society  ten  years  ago,  in  her  historic 
chapel,  a  holy  place  like  Westminster.  There,  in  the  city  of 
Williamsburg,  a  tiny  spot,  never  populous,  and  yet  a  place  as- 
sociated with  more  that  is  priceless  and  imperishable  than  any 
other  equal  territory  over  the  broad  expanse  of  the  United  States, 
I  consider  that  in  that  College  of  William  and  Mary  I  had  a 
consecration  to  an  office  far  beyond  my  deserts,  which  makes  me 


Kandolph-Macon  Woman's  College  21 

humble  every  time  I  think  of  it.  I  had  the  consecration  of  the 
memories,  the  associations  of  that  most  influential  of  all  the  col- 
leges in  America  up  to  the  Revolution  and  during  the  Revolution. 
So  when  a  few  years  afterwards  that  college  offered  to  me  her 
highest  honor  it  was  gratefully  accepted,  and  I  was  glad  to  make 
the  swift  journey  from  Massachusetts  to  Williamsburg  that  I 
might  receive  this  distinction.  You  will  understand,  then,  what 
a  delight  it  is  to  me  to  stand  upon  this  platform,  to  wear  these 
colors  of  orange  and  white  representing  the  House  of  Orange 
and  the  House  of  Stuart,  and  representing  also  to  me  the 
graciousness  of  William  and  Mary  College. 

And  then  there  was  another  great  institution,  of  which  Jeffer- 
son was  the  father,  which  followed  in  the  steps  of  William  and 
Mary  in  adopting  the  principle  of  honor  in  the  matter  of  the 
conduct  of  young  men  to  each  other,  the  University  of  Virginia, 
which  on  a  larger  scale,  as  far  as  a  state  university  can,  followed 
in  the  path  that  William  and  Mary  fixed ;  and  there  at  Charlottes- 
ville under  the  shade  of  that  hill  of  Monticello  where  repose  the 
remains  of  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  where 
Jefferson  lies  as  if  keeping  watch  over  his  own.  I  had  the  privilege 
of  bringing  back  to  them  with  my  Massachusetts  hand  this  Vir- 
ginia prize.  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  Then  a  little  while  after,  in  that 
college  which  bears  two  names  unsurpassed  in  American  history, 
the  very  pronunciation  of  which — Washington,  Lee — awakens  in 
every  true  American's  breast  only  reverence  and  gratefulness  to 
God  that  such  men  have  stood  forth  in  this  country,  there,  too, 
it  was  my  privilege  to  bring  back  to  Virginia  of  her  own.  As  I 
stood  upon  that  platform  and  looked  toward  the  mausoleum,  one 
of  the  simplest  in  the  United  States,  so  chaste,  so  unpretentious, 
and  yet  so  exquisite,  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  awe  that  I  lifted  up 
my  voice  to  speak,  knowing  that  the  echoes  floated  back  over  the 
tomb  of  that  knight  and  true  friend  of  humanity,  that  modest 
man,  Robert  E.  Lee.  And  then  on  another  occasion  when  I  came 
again  to  Virginia  in  connection  with  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  it  was 
my  privilege  to  meet  at  the  home  of  my  dear  friend.  Dr.  Howe, 
Dr.  William  Waugh  Smith.  He  struck  me  as  one  of  the  most 
human  men  I  ever  met.    Humanity  radiated  from  his  very  pres- 


22  Bulletin  of 

euce.  I  recall  that  because  at  dinner  some  word  had  been  spoken 
that  awoke  an  echo  in  his  heart,  Dr.  Smith  went  on  discussing  the 
reconstituted  Union,  and  then  dwelt  upon  Phi  Beta  Kappa  in  its 
association  of  chapters,  a  federated  union,  being  on  so  limited 
and  so  small  a  scale  a  symbol  of  the  fraternity  of  the  states. 
How  many  letters  I  received  from  him  in  regard  to  the  granting 
of  a  charter  here,  I  do  not  know.  As  far  as  my  influence  went 
my  mind  was  fully  made  up.  At  the  home  of  Dr.  Howe  I  learned 
much  about  Randolph-Macon  from  his  two  daughters,  whom  I 
knew,  and  the  tribute  that  Dr.  Howe  paid  the  college  then  wsis 
only  less  formal  than  his  speech  at  Philadelphia  at  the  last 
Council — a  speech  so  compact  and  so  convincing  that  if  the  Coun- 
cil had  not  already  been  decided,  his  speech  I  believe  would  have 
carried  the  day.  But  in  a  thousand  ways  I  knew  about  you  before 
I  came.  I  cannot  express  to  you  the  impression  that  this  college 
made  upon  me  when  I  first  made  your  acquaintance.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  talk  out  and  say  what  is  in  a  man 's  soul ;  there  is  always 
the  possibility  of  overstatement  and  misconception.  At  the  bot- 
tom of  one  of  the  pages  of  your  beautiful  and  picturesque  book  of 
views  there  is  this  sentence:  "The  location  is  ideal."  I  had 
found  you  so  pleasant  in  all  your  relations  with  each  other,  you 
had  been  so  gracious  and  kindly  to  the  stranger  from  a  distance, 
and  I  was  so  impressed  with  the  spirit  that  reigns  here,  that  I 
had  the  feeling  that  I  would  change  that  sentence  and  say, 
"Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College  in  Virginia  is  ideal."  I  re- 
member that  expression  in  your  song,  ' '  Guarded  by  her  circling 
mountains,  beautiful  and  blue."  As  one  strolls  here  along  your 
walks  and  looks  down  your  slopes,  sees  this  unparalleled  wealth 
of  natural  beauty,  sees  these  forms  flitting  here  and  there,  sees 
these  delightful  homes,  and  above  all,  watches  you  when  you  do 
not  know  that  the  perfectly  innocent  and  abstracted  stranger  is 
not  involved  in  deep  contemplation  of  some  far-away  sub- 
ject— then  he  understands  what  Randolph-Macon  is. 

We  have  some  glorious  chapters  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  It  is  a 
marvelous  society.  That  Phi  Beta  Kappa  of  John  Heath's  was 
great  like  an  acorn,  although  John  Heath  did  not  know  it  was 
an  acorn.    It  was  so  small,  so  simple,  so  boyish,  so  immature,  so 


Randolph-Macon  Woman's  College  23 

circumscribed — and  now  there  is  hardly  a  collegiate  center  of 
prime  importance  or  secondary  importance  from  Maine  to  Cali- 
fornia and  from  Michigan  to  the  extremity  of  the  Lone  Star 
State  that  is  not  striving  for  a  chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  "We 
had  before  us  applications  from  over  thirty  colleges  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Senate  a  year  ago,  and  we  do  not  seek  to  increase. 
Neither  do  we  wish  to  decrease,  and  as  some  institution  by  its 
achievement  of  character  or  by  the  distinction  of  the  men  and 
the  women  that  are  in  it,  shows  that  it  is  going  to  increase  our 
strength  and  add  to  our  renown,  then  the  portals  will  open  un- 
grudgingly, not  wide  but  sufficiently  for  that  institution  to  get 
in.  The  increase  of  chapters,  however,  is  something  we  neither 
desire  nor  seek,  something  we  would  rather  diminish  than 
advance. 

And  now  I  stand  here  in  a  scene  that  is  stimulating  to  the 
spirit,  restful  to  the  eye,  and  yet  realizing  how  limited  all  this 
quiet  is,  and  how  small  is  this  Phi  Beta  Kappa  of  ours — nation- 
wide revered  and  honored  though  it  is — when  we  think  of  the 
great  struggle  that  is  racking  all  humanity !  I  was  told  today  that 
the  flag  that  floats  above  your  tower  was  made  by  your  fresh- 
man students — that  flag  that  sums  up  the  history  of  the  United 
States  in  its  forty-eight  splendid  stars,  the  flag  that  is  more 
eloquent  of  that  which  is  to  be  than  of  that  which  has  already 
been.  Again  going  back  to  Sophocles,  is  it  not  possible  that 
forces  beyond  our  ken,  beyond  our  imagination,  have  brought 
about  this  catastrophe,  as  it  seems  to  us,  without  example  and 
without  parallel  ?  Despite  the  fact  that  the  world  seems  engulfed 
in  horrors,  yet  this  war  offers  opportunity  for  a  manifestation  of 
devotion  to  duty  and  readiness  to  suffer  and  to  die  for  that  which 
a  man  believes  is  right,  and  men  are  flocking  to  death  as  to  a 
feast  at  the  call  of  national  honor.  We  know  that  there  can  be 
no  neutral  position  that  does  not  involve  a  toleration  of  wrong 
As  we  fling  out  our  flags  everywhere,  making  just  one  blaze  of 
glory,  we  rejoice  in  the  words  of  Tennyson,  ''We  have  proved 
we  can  fight  for  a  cause,  we  are  noble  still."  That  flag  is 
significant  of  the  government  that  America  founded  in  the 
principles  of  liberty,  and  to  advance  the  cause  of  humanity.     It 


24  Randolpii-Macon  Woman's  College 

signifies  that  America's  sword  is  in  the  scale  when  the  defenders 
of  liberty  in  Europe  are  almost  worsted,  that  America  is  strik- 
ing her  blow  for  the  right,  and,  as  we  believe,  for  God,  that 
America  is  to  be  the  decisive  factor  in  this  struggle,  though,  it 
may  be,  after  months  or  years  of  agony,  after  a  bitterness  of  ex- 
perience such  as  this  country  never  knew. 

It  was  said  by  a  speaker  at  our  dinner  tonight  that  the  symbol 
of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  is  service,  that  it  has  been  from  the  begin- 
ning, that  it  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be.  As  long  as  this  college 
endures — and  may  the  years  be  endless — so  may  the  chapter 
planted  here  today  render  service.  As  this  college  goes  on  in 
strength,  so  may  this  chapter,  as  its  hand-maiden,  grow.  The 
chapter  is  the  servant  of  the  college.  And  let  not  one  of  these 
women  who  honor  the  badge  by  wearing  it,  feel  that  in  accepting 
that  symbol  she  has  attained  the  height  of  culture  and  scholarly 
distinction.  Every  member  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  is  to  be  a  better 
man,  a  better  woman,  a  better  servant  of  humanity,  because  of 
his  membership  in  this  society,  and  thus  strengthen  us  by  raising 
the  average  of  the  man  and  woman  already  in.  Now  let  me  tell 
you  what  sums  up  the  spirit  of  this  fraternity.  Again  Tennyson, 
and  he  puts  it  on  the  lips  of  the  goddess  of  wisdom,  divine 
PaUas : 

"  Self -reverence,  self-knowledge,  self-control, 
These  three  alone  lead  life  to  sovereign  power. 
Yet  not  for  power  (power  of  herself 
Would  come  uncall'd  for)  but  to  live  by  law, 
Acting  the  law  we  live  by  without  fear ; 
And,  because  right  is  right,  to  follow  right 
Were  wisdom  in  the  scorn  of  consequence." 

That  is  the  spirit  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  may  it  descend 
upon  every  one  of  us  here ! 


0112  105927674 


